Labour’s support among Muslim’s in Britain has fallen considerably, a new poll has found. Survation conducted an exclusive poll of British Muslim voters which has found that a growing number are turning towards the Green Party. The poll was commissioned by Labour Muslim Network and was conducted between 18 January and 3 February.
The poll found that Labour remains the most popular party among British Muslims, with 43% saying they intend to vote for Keir Starmer’s party. However, that is a massive 43 point drop on the 2019 general election.
The Greens have emerged with the second highest level of support on 10%, ahead of the Tories and Lib Dems, both of whom are on 6%.
The poll also asked British Muslims how important political leaders’ position on Israel-Palestine will be on how they vote. 70% said that it would be ‘very important’, and 15% said it would be ‘slightly important’. That compared to just 3% who said it was ‘not that important’ and 2% who said it was ‘not at all important’.
Survation also asked about attitudes towards the Labour Party directly. The poll found that 48% had a favourable view of Labour, compared to 27% which had an unfavourable. However, since Survation last asked the same question in 2021, the percentage saying they had a favourable view was down 14 points, and the percentage saying they had an unfavourable view was up 8 points.
In response to the poll, the Labour Muslim Network said: “For decades the Muslim community has been amongst the most loyal Labour supporters anywhere in the United Kingdom. The findings of this new opinion poll shows a startling collapse of this electoral and communal relationship.
“This is a crisis point for the future of the relationship between the British Muslim community and the Labour Party.
“These findings come in the context of over 100 days of Israel’s continuous assault on Gaza. Over 25,000 Palestinians have been killed, more than 10,000 of whom are children, and the Labour Party’s response has been unacceptable and deeply offensive to Muslims across Britain. Muslim voters have been watching and are now sending a clear message – they will not support any political party that does not fervently oppose the crimes committed against the people of Gaza.”
The Labour leadership must change paths now or risk losing the support of the Muslim community for a generation.”
Muslim Greens co-founders Fesl Reza Khan and Asma Alam said: “The 9% increase for Greens is unsurprising. The Muslim community, alongside significant swathes of the wider progressive population, have effectively been rendered political refugees. Political parties have stopped listening to ordinary people, viewing them as peripheral to the democratic process. Indeed a Labour frontbencher, when recently asked about its haemorrhaging Muslim voter base, described it as ‘shaking off the fleas’. Keir Starmer’s position on Gaza is viewed as a gross betrayal of Labour values by grassroots Muslims. In British Muslims, Labour has had a captive voter base, purely due to its first-mover advantage.
“The Green Party’s consistent advocacy for a ceasefire has led many in the British Muslim community to look at the Green Party afresh. Many are finding that our party is a far better reflection of who they are today than other political offerings, and not just on foreign policy. Muslims resonate with the party’s principles of environmental justice, human rights, and serving the underprivileged. Our faith is more green than people think, as Muslims it’s our duty to look after the planet.
“The appeal is evident, but further efforts are necessary. Despite the Green Party’s endorsement of a ceasefire, both existing supporters and new recruits feel that the party lacks sufficient vocal advocacy on the matter. While they may express support for a ceasefire, they are perceived as not actively championing it. There is also a lack of diversity in leadership and councils but this we realise can only change once more people of diverse backgrounds join the party and that is one our the aims of the Muslim Greens.”
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